As the 2026 Spring Legislative Session comes to a close, one thing is abundantly clear: REALTOR® advocacy made a difference.

Throughout the session, members of our State Legislative Contacts (SLCs) and REALTOR® advocates across Illinois answered the call time and again to serve their industry, their communities, and the nearly 50,000 members represented by Illinois REALTORS®. Their engagement and responsiveness proved invaluable during one of the most contentious and unpredictable legislative sessions in recent memory.

While much attention has focused on the fate of Governor Pritzker’s BUILD Plan, the accomplishments of this year extend far beyond any single proposal. With the help of our grassroots network, Illinois REALTORS® successfully defeated more than 100 harmful bills that threatened private property rights, increased housing costs, and imposed new barriers to homeownership and housing development.

Among the most concerning measures introduced this year were proposals to lift the state’s prohibition on rent control, cap broker commissions, limit security deposits, prohibit the use of credit reports in rental decisions, expand wetland regulations on private property, impose costly mandates on new construction, and establish price controls and mandatory rights of first refusal in private real estate transactions. Other proposals sought to create punitive taxes on residential investments and dramatically expand legal liability for housing providers and REALTORS® using third-party technology and pricing tools.

Illinois REALTORS® also actively opposed several measures that remained under consideration until the final days of session. As the voice for nearly 50,000 REALTORS® statewide, the association urged legislators to reject bills that would add new restrictions, fees, legal uncertainty, and transaction barriers at a time when Illinois is already facing a significant housing shortage.

Among those measures were:

• SB 329 (Amendment 1), which would impose additional regulations outside the Real Estate License Act despite existing laws already addressing the conduct the bill sought to remedy.
• SB 331 (Amendment 1), which would create a new annual tax ranging from 10 percent to 100 percent on certain residential real estate investments while interfering with housing transactions and discouraging new housing production. The proposal also raised serious constitutional concerns regarding due process and private property rights.
• SB 332 (Amendment 1), which would cap sales prices at appraised value and create a mandatory tenant purchase process that could delay or derail private real estate transactions.
• SB 343 (Amendment 1), which would expose REALTORS® and housing providers to expanded antitrust liability for the use of third-party software and pricing tools over which end users have no control.
• SB 3777, which would grant broad authority to the Illinois Department of Human Rights to create new categories of human rights violations beyond existing state and federal law, potentially affecting common business practices such as the use of credit reports.

These proposals run contrary to the principles Illinois REALTORS® champion every day: protecting property rights, promoting housing opportunity, and ensuring that every Illinoisan has the opportunity to achieve the American Dream of homeownership.

The defeat of these and many other anti-real estate measures demonstrates the effectiveness of REALTOR® advocacy. Every call made, every email sent, and every conversation with lawmakers played a role in protecting consumers, property owners, and housing providers across Illinois.

Of course, the outcome of the BUILD Plan remains one of the major stories of the session. As one of the Governor’s signature initiatives, the proposal became caught up in end-of-session negotiations involving the state budget, the Bears stadium proposal, data center regulations, election law reforms, and prescription drug pricing. Ultimately, only the budget package reached the finish line.

The final weeks of session revealed deep divisions and disagreements, even within the majority party, resulting in gridlock that stalled many major legislative initiatives.

Despite the frustration surrounding the conclusion of session, the work to address Illinois’ housing shortage is far from over.

In the coming weeks, Illinois REALTORS® will launch Local Housing Supply Accelerators, partnering directly with municipalities across the state to address barriers to housing development and increase supply. The debate surrounding the BUILD Plan has elevated housing as a priority issue and underscored for local leaders that if communities fail to address these challenges themselves, statewide mandates are likely to follow.

In addition, Illinois REALTORS® will continue its “Let’s Talk Real Estate” meetings throughout the summer with state and federal policymakers, reinforcing the message that everyone deserves the opportunity to achieve the American Dream of homeownership.

The end of the legislative session does not mark the end of the fight. Rather, it marks the beginning of the next chapter. Together, Illinois REALTORS® will continue advocating for policies that expand housing opportunities, protect private property rights, and strengthen communities across our state.

To every State Legislative Contact and every REALTOR® advocate who answered the call this year, thank you. Your efforts mattered, your voices were heard, and because of your commitment, the work continues.